Chemical composition and antibacterial activity of the essential oil of Licaria triandra (Sw.) Kosterm. leaves from Cuba

Abstract

The essential oil from leaves of Licaria triandra (Sw.) Kosterm., grown in Cuba, was isolated by hydrodistillation, and analyzed by gas chromatography/flame ionization detector (GC/FID) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). One hundred and thirty-six compounds were identified and quantified, accounting for 99% of the total composition. The major constituents of the essential oil were β-pinene (18.2%), α-pinene (14.8%) and β-eudesmol (11.4%). The in vitro antibacterial activity of the essential oil was studied against five bacteria strains (Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli) using the disk diffusion method. The essential oil showed weak activity against the bacteria tested.

Keywords:

• Licaria triandra
• essential oil
• gas chromatography/mass spectrometry
• antibacterial activity
• β-pinene
• α-pinene
• β-eudesmol

Acknowledgement

We are grateful to Dr. Pedro Herrera (Instituto de Ecología y Sistemática, La Habana, Cuba) for identification of the plant specimen.